Master Assassin
by blackbelt256
Summary: Nothing is true, Everything is permitted. That is Naruto Uzumaki's creed. AU Naruto x Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Assassin!Naruto, Mother!Mary Read, Father!Edward. Will switch between Naruto canon and AC4 from time to time. Pairings: Edward x Mary. Bad summary is bad. Rated M for language, violence, gore, and lemon.


**Hey guys!**

 **I was reading some Naruto/Assassin's Creed fanfics and decided to try my hand at writing one! Please let me know what you think! Warning: AU (kiss canon goodbye), pairings undecided. Mature!Naruto, Assassin!Naruto. I only own the name of Mary Read's ship, as it was never mentioned in AC4 to my knowledge. (Spoiler Alert: Mary Read = James Kidd)**

"Speech"

'Thought'

" **Kyuubi"**

" _(Languages other than English)"_

 **Master Assassin**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Nothing is True**

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato**_

It was a quiet autumn night in the village. Nothing moved except the occasional stray cat, and nearly everyone was asleep.

Suddenly, three figures dashed through the trees just outside the village gates, heading for the nearby harbor. They wore the standard attire for chunin-level ninja, with their leaf headbands tied around their foreheads. One carried a large burlap sack, which he had thrown over his shoulder.

"Hurry up! We don't want to get spotted!" hissed the leader as they leapt through the branches. The others nodded and quickened their pace, arriving at the deserted harbor in just a few minutes. Once there, they jumped onto the water, running across it with ease until they reached the edge of the harbor, which connected to the vast ocean.

"Glad we can finally get rid of the demon brat. He's heavier than he looks," said the ninja holding the sack as he upended it, dumping its contents in the freezing water. "There. Let's get out of here." With that, the three ninja disappeared, leaving behind a blonde six-year-old boy, who slowly drifted out to sea.

 _ **Aboard the Illusion, Caribbean Sea, Two Days Later**_

James Kidd yawned widely as he emerged from his quarters on the _Illusion_. He made his way up the steps to the wheel, where the helmsman stood keeping the ship on course, as though they had any real destination.

"Have a good rest, Cap'n?" asked the helmsman as Kidd approached. Kidd smiled. "Best I've had in a while, Smith. Did I miss anythin'?" he asked. Smith shook his head.

"Neither Spanish nor English sails, Cap'n, though there's a nasty tempest brewin' to the south," he said, indicating the dark storm clouds on the horizon. "We need to make port before she hits."

Kidd nodded absently as he stretched the kinks out of his back. Suddenly, a call came from the crow's nest.

"Cap'n! Somethin' in the water off the starboard bow!"

Grabbing a spyglass, Kidd made his way over to the side of the ship. He put the spyglass to his eye and began scanning. "What is it, Cap'n?" asked his quartermaster as he joined him. After a moment, Kidd spotted something drifting amongst the waves.

Rather, someone. To Kidd's horror, there was a young blond boy, no older than five or six, floating lifelessly in the water.

"Jesus, it's a child!" he gasped, dropping the spyglass and shedding his jacket and boots. The quartermaster sprang into action immediately. "ALL HANDS, MAN OVERBOARD!" he bellowed.

Instantly, the deck was swarming with activity. The anchor was dropped as the crew furled the sails, bringing the schooner to a halt. A thick rope was given to Kidd, who tied it around his waist, the other end being secured to the main mast. In a flash, Kidd dove over the side and began to swim over to the unconscious boy.

Upon reaching him, Kidd looped the rope under his arms and waved to the crew still aboard the ship to begin pulling them in. Soon, they were back on the _Illusion_.

"Smith! Set a course for Tulum! And be quick about it!" Kidd roared as he laid the boy down on the deck and began checking his vitals.

'Faint heartbeat…not breathing. Think, you idiot! What did Ah Tabai teach you?' he thought frantically. Suddenly, the memory returned to him and he opened the boy's mouth. Taking a deep breath, he put his mouth on the boy's and blew, forcing air into his lungs, before taking his mouth away and gently pressing the boy's chest, forcing him to exhale.

He repeated this process four more times before the boy coughed violently, spraying seawater everywhere. Kidd sat up and watched as the boy rolled on his side and purged himself of the rest of the water he swallowed before returning to unconsciousness. Kidd sighed and gently lifted the boy, carrying him towards his own quarters. "The kid's going to be stayin' with me till we get to Tulum," he said over his shoulder. "I want to get there as fast as possible."

"Aye, Cap'n!" chorused the crew as Kidd closed the door behind him.

Once the door was closed and locked, Kidd laid the boy gently in the bed before sitting in a nearby chair to keep watch.

The boy awoke three days into their journey to Tulum. Kidd was lounging in his quarters, taking occasional gulps from a bottle of rum, when the blond boy gave a groan, his eyelids fluttering open.

Kidd was at the boy's side in an instant. "Welcome back, lad. Gave us quite a scare," he said gently. The boy stared up at him uncomprehendingly.

Kidd frowned slightly.

"Don't speak English, eh? _Espa_ _ñ_ _ol?_ " he asked hopefully.

Another blank look.

Kidd's frown deepened. "Guess not. _Fran_ _ç_ _ais? Portugu_ _ê_ _s? Nihongo?_ "

The blond brightened at the last word. _"Anata wa nihongo o hanashimasu ka?"_ he asked excitedly. Kidd smiled only slightly; his Oriental was broken at best, but maybe he could get his point across.

" _Onamaehanadesuka? (What is your name?)"_ he asked.

" _(My name's Naruto Uzumaki! Who are you?)"_ said the boy, now identified as Naruto. Kidd smiled: he could understand that much, at least.

" _(My name's James Kidd. Found you in sea. Nearly dead. Save your life.)"_ he said. For his part, Naruto looked shocked.

" _Nani?! (What?!)"_ he cried, scrambling out of the bed to look through the nearby window. Upon seeing the rolling waves, Naruto turned with a panicked expression on his face and began babbling in rapid-fire Oriental that Kidd only caught bits and pieces of. What he did understand were the words _village, grandfather, home,_ and _ramen._

Kidd held up his hands in a placating gesture, trying to get the kid to calm down.

"Easy, kid. Calm down. Ain't no one gonna hurt ya," he said softly. His only reply was a blank stare, but at least the kid stopped freaking out.

Kidd sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

 **[Timeskip/Slight Montage/Summary]**

A week after their initial meeting, Kidd and his crew arrived in Tulum, with young Naruto in tow. During that week, Kidd took it upon himself to teach the boy what English he could, until he could at least get the gist of what someone was saying.

Upon their arrival, Kidd introduced Naruto to his close friend, Ah Tabai. The older man took an immediate shine to the boy's transparent honesty, especially when exhibited in the form of cluelessness. Kidd had never seen Ah Tabai laugh so hard when Naruto had asked if he was made of bronze, in reference to his skin.

Kidd and Naruto spent the better part of six years in Tulum, with James leaving every now and then for "business". Over that time, Naruto's English improved to the point where one couldn't even tell he wasn't a native speaker unless they knew what to listen for.

It was also during his stay in Tulum that Kidd revealed his true identity to Naruto; he was, in fact, a she. Her name was Mary Read, she explained, and she was a part of a group known as Assassins, with Ah Tabai as her Mentor. After an explanation of Assassins, Templars, and their aims, Naruto decided to undertake his Assassin training.

Ah Tabai was most impressed with the boy's natural talent. Naruto had a knack for stealth, it seemed. During his rare bad mood, if he decided to disappear, he made sure he couldn't be found.

His skills in combat were nothing to scoff at, either, and not just hand-to-hand. Many an Assassin, even the most seasoned, had stumbled into one of his perfectly-laid traps, designed as pranks. It was only when Ah Tabai returned one day in a foul temper —with a pink hood—that Naruto stopped.

Soon, the time came when there was no more that Ah Tabai could teach him.

 **[End Montage/Summary]**

Naruto awoke to a sharp rap on his forehead. Instincts taking over, he leapt from his bed and over his attacker, spinning in midair to land on his feet in a defensive position, hidden blades extended. His eyes widened when he saw that his "attacker" was Mary, and she was trying hard not to laugh.

"Rise and shine, kid! We've got a big day ahead of us!" she chirped, poking him in the forehead as she walked out of their shared hut.

Naruto groaned, retracted his hidden blades, and rubbed his abused forehead. "Kaa-san, you know how much I hate it when you do that!" he complained.

"That's why I do it!"

Grumbling under his breath, Naruto began to change out of his sleep clothes and into his handmade Assassin robes. His outfit was much like Ah Tabai's, only his was a burnt orange, with brown bracers, chest guards, and shoulder guards. He kept his bracers (and the hidden blades that came with them) on him at all times, even when sleeping. More than one Assassin found out on more than one occasion that Naruto was definitely _not_ a morning person, and would often react violently when awoken. Two Assassin Recruits ended up with a black eye and split lip apiece when they forgot that little fact.

Walking outside, he grimaced and shielded his face with his hand, trying to block out the thrice-damned sun that seemed to shine right in his eyes, every time.

"About time! Thought I was gonna have to come in and dress ya myself!" laughed Mary, sitting in a nearby tree, swinging her legs idly. "Come on, I got somethin' to show ya," she said, before leaping to another tree.

Intrigued, Naruto clambered up the tree and gave chase, weaving around branches and leaping over gaps with practiced ease. Freerunning came naturally to him, and one of his favorite pastimes was creating personal challenges for himself, such as making it from one side of the island to the other without touching the ground.

Eventually, he flew through the gap between two branches and slid to a stop on the beach, where Mary and her crew were waiting, along with Ah Tabai.

The Mentor smiled as Naruto approached. "Ah, you've finally arrived," he said, smirking. "And here I thought we would have to drag you from your bed ourselves."

Naruto's cheeks burned as the sailors laughed. While none of them were Assassins, they each liked Naruto, and every now and then one would help him prank the rest of the crew.

Ah Tabai chuckled before his expression turned solemn. "You have been an excellent pupil, Naruto. One of the best I've ever taught. But your place is not here," he said seriously. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by Ah Tabai's raised hand. "I do not mean that you are no longer welcome here, Naruto. I simply mean that there is nothing left for you here. I have taught you everything I can. Now it is time for you to go your own way."

Naruto fought hard to keep the tears from falling as Ah Tabai continued.

"But before you depart, I would give you one final gift," said the Mentor, gesturing with his hand. Instantly, four Assassins dropped from the trees, one holding a leather pouch, which she handed to Naruto. Untying the knot at the top, Naruto reached into the bag and pulled out a rough wooden carving of Mayan design, attached to a cord.

"This is just something I hope you will remember us by," explained Ah Tabai, but whatever else he planned to say died in his throat as the blond twelve-year-old enveloped him in a crushing hug, which he happily returned.

"I'll come back to visit," said Naruto, straining to hold back tears. Ah Tabai smiled and shooed the blond Assassin in the direction of the _Illusion._ "Go and find your path."

Naruto gave one last wave as he climbed aboard and the ship cast off. He didn't put his arm down until Ah Tabai and the Assassins were no longer visible.

With a heavy sigh, he joined his mother at the prow. Since leaving Tulum, she had once again donned her James Kidd identity. "Where to?" asked Naruto as he approached.

Mary frowned, confusing the blond. "We're going to Havana. Apparently there is a traitor in our ranks. We sent four squads to hunt him down but we've yet to hear anything from them. You an' me are gonna check it out." Naruto nodded grimly. "Who is the traitor?" he asked.

"Duncan Walpole. He's a former Master Assassin from our English Brotherhood. Apparently he has a map revealing Assassin encampments all around the Caribbean. We need to stop him before that map reaches Templar hands." Naruto nodded once more and turned to face the open ocean.

He was certain of one thing: Duncan Walpole would die.


End file.
